Selanne signs, to play immediately

Right wing Teemu Selanne is scheduled to be in the Ducks' lineup for Sunday's 5 p.m. exhibition game against the Vancouver Canucks at Honda Center after signing a two-year, $5.25 million contract earlier in the day.

Two years? Perhaps next summer, unlike the past two, we won't have to endure persistent and ridiculous Internet rumors that Selanne is headed to play in Montreal, Dallas, Sweden, Russia, Timbuktu or wherever else.

"This is the only place I wanted to play," Selanne said in a statement released by the Ducks. "We have great owners, great fans and a chance to win again. This team is hungry and ready to go."

Selanne's commitment to the Ducks, displayed countless times since the club first acquired him from the former Winnipeg Jets in 1996, has never been more clear. He could have signed long ago, for far more money, with any number of NHL teams, not to mention one in Russia that offered him $10 million for one year, tax free, but Selanne's heart and home are in Orange County.

The Ducks should thank their lucky stars for just the latest "hometown discount" given by Selanne, who received a no-trade clause in the deal.

"We're happy to have Teemu back and thank him for his patience as we sorted out our salary-cap situation," Ducks general manager Brian Burke said. "Teemu is a true Duck. His loyalty to this franchise and community is unquestioned."

At 38, the blazing speed of the Finnish Flash has been glaringly evident through the opening week of training camp. He reported with his teammates Sept. 19 carrying only a professional tryout contract in his pocket, risking potential injury with no personal insurance policy because he wanted to be in camp from the beginning, the better to prepare both he and the Ducks for a potentially promising and yet critical season.

Selanne's incredible hands might not be quite what they once were, but they're still better than 99 percent of other players in the NHL. They were good enough to produce 40 goals in 2005-06, another 48 in 2006-07 and 12 more in just 26 games last season, after Selanne followed defenseman Scott Niedermayer in returning from a lengthy sabbatical while contemplating retirement.

And lest anyone forget, Selanne's overtime strike in Game 5 of the 2007 Western Conference finals against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena, a goal probably no other Ducks player could have scored, propelled the team to a Stanley Cup championship that otherwise might never have occurred.

With support from former Ducks center Andy McDonald, Selanne pounced on a turnover by Detroit defenseman Andreas Lilja and beat Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek from close range, after Niedermayer had scored an equally huge goal -- tying the game on the power play in the final minute of the third period.

The two-year deal, largely a result of Selanne's desire to make one final Olympic appearance for Finland in the 2010 Games in Vancouver, certainly carries some risk for the Ducks because age eventually catches up with everyone. Still, with the contract structured such that Selanne will earn a $3.25 million salary this season and $2 million next, that prospect is relatively small. If Selanne were to retire after this season, however, the Ducks would still be on the hook for his $2.625 million salary-cap hit in 2009-10.

The signing of Selanne once again pushes the Ducks above the NHL's $56.7 million salary ceiling for this season, by about $1.225 million, after the club had worked so hard to get beneath the cap by shedding defenseman Mathieu Schneider's $5.625 million hit in a Friday trade with the AtlantaThrashers.

The Ducks' current salary-cap projection includes having rookie winger Bobby Ryan on the NHL roster, which isn't a given, but appears more likely than not. Were the Ducks to assign Ryan to their American League affiliate, the Iowa Chops, the Ducks would slide more than $500,000 beneath the cap with that move alone.

More likely, with 14 forwards and seven defensemen on one-way contracts, the Ducks will trade at least one more player away before their Oct. 9 regular-season opener on the road against the San JoseSharks. The Ducks could also place a veteran on waivers and, were he to go unclaimed by other teams, send that player to Iowa in order to affect salary-cap relief.

In any event, we're all going to have the pleasure of more nights watching Selanne in a Ducks uniform, and that treat should not be taken lightly. Selanne's famous No. 8 will someday be the first to rise to the Honda Center rafters. Even if it means buying a ticket, I plan to be in the building that night to salute the greatest player in franchise history.

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